A dead baby was found abandoned by an unknown person behind the Medical Students Hostel on Moore Road Calabar near the Office of the Wife of Cross River State Governor.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Health/ NGO and Special Projects, Dr. Regina Ejemot-Nwadiaro, said her attention was drawn to the incident by an anonymous caller and when she got to the scene and confirmed the story, she immediately called the Calabar Urban Development Authority, CUDA, who quickly responded to the call and subsequently alerted the Police.
She condemned the perpetrator(s) of the dastardly act which she described as callous, inhuman and outright wickedness.
She intimated that for the past five years the wife of the State Governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke, has been championing the stamping out of teenage pregnancy and child abandonment in the state through her project, Mothers Against Child Abandonment, MACA. "It is thus, disheartening that in spite of the consistent efforts by Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke and the MACA team, people could still dump babies," she wondered.
The Dr. Ejemot-Nwadiaro stated that the main goal of MACA is to prevent teenage pregnancy and child abandonment and ultimately to save lives. She called on the public to avail themselves of the services MACA provides and reiterated that MACA's ultimate goal is to contribute to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals, especially as it concerns child and maternal mortality.
She stated that Mrs. Imoke also initiated the Calabar Carnival Queen, CCQ, as the face of MACA which goes on advocacy/sensitization visits to secondary schools the state, preaching abstinence from pre-marital sex and building their confidence. MACA also has trained counselors and a 24-hour helpline for people that may wish to make further enquires, give information or obtain assistance.
The Executive Secretary of CUDA, Gabriel Egari confirmed the incident and promised to incident the case with the Police as well as get clearance before his office could evacuate and bury the dead baby.
